| British Rail Class 143 Pacer | |
|---|---|
 Great Western Railway Class 143 at Dawlish in 2018 | |
 Great Western Railway refurbished saloon | |
| In service | 1985–2021 |
| Manufacturer | |
| Order no. |
|
| Family name | Pacer |
| Replaced | BR First-Generation DMUs |
| Constructed | 1985–1986[1] |
| Refurbished |
|
| Number built | 25 |
| Number preserved | 13 |
| Number scrapped | 12 |
| Formation | 2 cars per unit: DMS-DMSL[1] |
| Diagram |
|
| Fleet numbers |
|
| Capacity | |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Steel underframe, aluminium alloy body and roof |
| Car length | 15.546 m (51 ft 0 in) (over couplers) |
| Width | 2.695 m (8 ft 10.1 in) |
| Height | 3.515 m (11 ft 6.4 in) |
| Doors | Double-leaf folding (three per side) |
| Wheelbase | 9.000 m (29 ft 6.3 in) |
| Maximum speed | 75 mph (121 km/h) |
| Weight |
|
| Axle load | Route Availability 1[3] |
| Prime mover(s) | |
| Engine type | Inline-6 4-stroke turbo-diesel[5][6] |
| Displacement | |
| Power output | |
| Transmission | |
| Minimum turning radius | 70 m (230 ft) |
| Braking system(s) | Electro-pneumatic (tread)[3] |
| Safety system(s) | |
| Coupling system | BSI |
| Multiple working | Within class, and with Classes 14x, 15x, and 170[3] |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Notes/references | |
| Specifications as at March 1985[9] except where otherwise noted. | |
The British Rail Class 143 is a diesel multiple-unit railbus, part of the Pacer family of passenger trains introduced between 1985 and 1986.
During the 1980s, British Rail (BR) was interested in replacing its first-generation diesel multiple units, particularly in the use of railbuses to service its lightly used branch lines. It was decided to develop such a vehicle with a high level of commonality with the widely used Leyland National bus, leading to its modular design serving as the basis for the design. Several single- and two-car prototypes were constructed and evaluated, leading to an initial production batch by British Leyland, designated Class 141 units. BR, seeking to procure improved derivatives of the Class 141, placed an order with the manufacturers Hunslet-Barclay and Walter Alexander to construct its own variant, the Class 143.
Entering operational service during the mid-1980s, the Class 143 embodied several advances over the original model in terms of ride quality and reliability. During its operating lives, the type operated various passenger services across the United Kingdom; initially operated in the North-East of England, all units were subsequently transferred to other regions, including Wales and South-West England.
Due to their non-compliance with the Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Interoperable Rail System) Regulations 2008, the Pacer family began to be withdrawn during the late 2010s ahead of the 1 January 2020 deadline. Some fleets were given dispensation to operate until 31 December 2020. While modifications for compliance were proposed by rolling-stock companies, no train operator took up the option. Great Western Railway retired its Class 143 fleet in December 2020, while Transport for Wales was granted an extension and ran its trains until 29 May 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Fox, Peter (1987). British Railways Pocket Book No. 2: Multiple Units (Summer–Autumn 1987 ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing. pp. 41–42. ISBN 0906579740. OCLC 613347580.
- ^ "Class 143". The Railway Centre. Archived from the original on 9 March 2005.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c d Class 143 & 144 Diesel Multiple Units (PDF) (1A ed.). Derby: Porterbrook Leasing Company. September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
- ^ a b Pritchard, R.N.; Fox, Peter (2009). British Railways Pocket Book No. 3: Diesel Multiple Units 2010. Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-902336-75-6. OCLC 614300319.
- ^ a b Leyland Titan Technical Data (PDF). Southall: British Leyland UK. June 1978. Lit. No. 1683. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
- ^ a b Engine Performance Curve LTA10-G2. Columbus, Indiana: Cummins Engine Company. 14 April 1997. FR-2254. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
shorewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Fox, Peter; Hughes, Barry (1994). British Railways Pocket Book No. 3: DMUs & Channel Tunnel Stock (7th ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing. p. 26. ISBN 9781872524597.
- ^ Vehicle Diagram Book No. 220 for Diesel Multiple Unit Trains (Railcars) (PDF). Derby: British Railways Board. 1982. DP236 & DP237 (in work pp. 67–70). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2016 – via Barrowmore MRG.